Cash-for-vote scandal: Probe panel likely to finalise report by August 29

NEW DELHI: Sanjiv Saxena, the man who���s at the centre of the cash-for-votes scandal but has, since then, gone incommunicado, on Monday appeared before the parliamentary panel probing the complaint filed by the three BJP MPs who claim to have been bribed by Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh to abstain from the voting on confidence motion.

The probe panel, which is headed by senior Congress leader V Kishore Chandra Deo, also grilled Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh, who was shown in the sting operation as goading the three MPs into meeting Mr Amar Singh, BJP secretary Sudheendra Kulkarni, who assisted in setting up the entire whistle-blowing operation, and Sohail Hindustani, a BJP activist who acted as the middleman between the three MPs and the ruling side.

The panel, which wound up its cross-examination on Sunday, is likely to finalise its findings by August 29. The report is likely to be approved a 4:3 majority with the Congress, SP, RJD and DMK backing the report and the BJP, CPM and BSP rejecting it.

Contrary to initial speculation, it���s unlikely that the parliamentary panel will summon Mr Amar Singh and the Congress president���s political advisor, Mr Ahmed Patel, who were named by the three BJP MPs in their complaint filed before the Lok Sabha Speaker.

���The process of recording evidences is complete,������ the committee chairman told newspersons after the meeting.

On being asked when the panel would be in the position to submit its report, he replied: ``As soon as possible. We���ll meet soon, maybe within a week, and try our best to submit the report by August 29.������ At Monday���s meeting, the attention of the members of the probe panel was rivetted on Saxena, who, many people believe, holds the key to the entire operation. He���s shown in the tapes as delivering Rs 1 crore in cash to the three MPs at Mr Ashok Argal���s 4, Ferozeshah Road residence, allegedly at the behest of the Samajwadi Party general secretary.

Mr Saxena, on being cross-examined by the panel, was found to be evasive and vague on most questions. ``It was clear that he was trying to conceal facts,������ said a member, who, however, refused to elaborate the point further.